New school, new year: Mission Ridge Elementary welcomes students

Socorro Independent School District Superintendent Jose Espinoza greeted new students at the district's new school Mission Ridge Elementary during the first day of classes. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)

With a new elementary school just three blocks from her home in the Sparks neighborhood, parent Berenice Chavarria is excited that she won't have to rush to get her son to school.

And she gets an extra hour of sleep as her son, Emmanuel Chavarria, now goes to Mission Ridge Elementary. Monday was his first day.

"We have lived in the Sparks area for 10 years now, and since then they have talked about building a school here," she said in Spanish. "Today it's a reality and it's a great help. Before we had to be up by 6 a.m., and today we just woke up at 7 a.m., and my son got to eat a good breakfast and he's very excited because he knows that the friends he plays with and recognizes will be here too."

About 45,000 students started school at the Socorro Independent School District on Monday. The El Paso and Ysleta school districts start on Aug. 25.

The $18 million school is the Socorro district's newest campus. It was built to alleviate Horizon Heights and Dr. Sue Shook elementary schools, which had reached capacity with the growing student population in the Horizon City area.

For the 2013-14 school year 967 students were enrolled at Shook Elementary and 1,086 students were enrolled at Horizon Heights. On Monday with the new school open, about 719 students were enrolled at Shook and 731 students were enrolled at Horizon Heights. More than 700 students were enrolled at Mission Ridge Elementary school.

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Luis Hernandez, a fourth grader and a former student of Horizon Heights Elementary School, walked quickly behind his mother as they crossed the unpaved sidewalk to Mission Ridge Elementary.

"I'm a little scared," Hernandez said adjusting his backpack. "This is a new school. But I'm going to make friends."

To welcome the students to a new school year SISD Superintendent Jose Espinoza visited seven of the district's campuses. His message: "come to school every day."

Espinoza started his day at Mission Ridge Elementary where he and Chico, the Chihuahuas' mascot, welcomed every one to the new school.

Espinoza's first stop was Hernandez's classroom. Hernandez and his classmates listened wide eyed. "You've got to work hard," he said. "Everything that you are learning here in fourth grade is going to prepare you for college. So work hard."

District officials said Espinoza will be relaying a similar message and welcoming students to the school year throughout the week.

In another classroom Andres Saenz, a 3rd grader, informed Espinoza about the playing field the school has.

"At the other school I was at it didn't have a football field," Saenz said. "This one does. It's really big."

South of the field, the campus will have an owl sanctuary. Other amenities include a student garden, four ponding areas, natural light and room for four more classroom wings if the need arises to serve more students.